You're invited!

The Metro Council is again recognizing the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples' Day to honor the contributions and culture of Native Americans around the region.

Council members voted 7-0 Thursday to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day on Oct. 9. Across the U.S., that date is traditionally celebrated as Columbus Day, though the state of Oregon does not observe the federal holiday.

This is the third year that Metro has adopted such a resolution.

"The Native people in our country have suffered forced migration, broken treaties and other injustices that should never be repeated," said Raahi Reddy, Metro's new diversity, equity and inclusion program director. "This history is really a lesson to all of us of the perseverance and the resilience of Native people in the face of these injustices and the continued integrity and vitality of their cultures and their governments."

Portland has the ninth largest urban American Indian population in the United States, with more than 40,000 tribal people representing 380 tribes.

On Oct. 9, Metro will host the region's second annual Indigenous Peoples' Day celebration at the Oregon Zoo. It is a collaboration with the Native American Community Advisory Council to Metro and Portland Parks and Recreation.

The event will run from 3 to 7 p.m. at the zoo's entrance plaza and will include representatives from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Confederated Tribes of Siletz, cultural performances from Mexica Tiahui PDX and Portland State University's Pacific Islander Club, local indigenous storytellers and First Foods practitioners.

Admission is free and the first 300 attendees will be given admission tickets to the zoo that are good through the rest of the year.

Whether your roots in the region run generations deep or you moved to Oregon last week, you have your own reasons for loving this place – and Metro wants to keep it that way. Help shape the future of the greater Portland region and discover tools, services and places that make life better today.